Martin Odegaard has made it clear that he wishes to stay at Real Madrid this season, according to reports in Spain.
The Norwegian spent the second half of last season on-loan with Arsenal and earned plaudits for some impressive performances.
After being eased into Premier League football by Mikel Arteta, Odegaard became a regular in the starting XI, scoring twice and registering a pair of assists in 20 appearances.
Arteta made it clear that he would like to bring back the 22-year-old for the upcoming season, but would need to hold talks with Los Blancos.
“We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do,” the Arsenal boss said at the end of last season.
"He's not our player. We'll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he's a Real Madrid player.
“We'll have those communications. We've tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he's done, and he has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football club.
“Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling that this could be a good place for him.”
Odegaard’s situation at the Bernabeu was further complicated by a change of managers, with Zinedine Zidane’s resignation leading to Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment.
Zidane appeared to have made his mind up on the 22-year-old, leaving him out of line-ups, instead preferring to stick with experienced options like Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
But according to Marca, Ancelotti made it a priority to hold talks with the returning Odegaard, assuring him of a prominent place within the squad.
The report claims that the manager has told the midfielder that he will be a regular contributor and can expect plenty of minutes considering Kroos and Modric’s advancing years.
With that in mind, Odegaard has decided he wants to stay in the Spanish capital making a return to Arsenal highly unlikely.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have completed their second signing of the summer in the form of Albert Sambi Lokonga.
The Anderlecht midfielder has joined the club in a deal believed to be in the region of £18million.
Lokonga will add an extra option in midfield, although there is a belief that Arteta could look for a more experienced player to sit alongside Thomas Partey at the base of the midfield.
Reports have added that Arteta and technical director Edu also remain in the market for a No.10, despite Emile Smith Rowe closing in on a new long-term contract at the Emirates.
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